There's also a decent selection of modes to enjoy. The 3-Point shootout is hot and the All-Star game is, well, it's the All-Star game, but the dunk contest is truly special, at least after you master the mechanics. It's a fairly deep mode and you can pull off some sick dunks. However, EA didn't do a good a job with the tutorials, so the learning curve is a bit steep, particularly for casual fans such as myself. I love the NBA videogames, but the dunk contest isn't something that I'm going to repeatedly come back to. With that being said, I need it to be user-friendly. I want to be able to hop into a game, do something stupid, and get the heck out. I don't want to fumble with the controls for 25 minutes and pull off a standard-looking jam. At least reward me for the time invested.

In addition to the All-Star festivities there's also Dynasty Mode and that is what it is. I haven't necessarily seen anything special about it per se (I prefer 2K7's franchise mode, actually). But then there are the online modes and features, and it's here where things get interesting. You can play other people online and that stuff works fine, but I really dig the way EA integrated ESPN into the game. It allows me to get scores, video, and news on the fly. There's just a ton of info accessible any second and I love it. It's about damn time EA did something with the ESPN license, and if it intends to build off this model, the Live franchise is only going to get better. I just wish I could say the same for the graphics.

Ah yes, the visuals. They're very important. We are talking about the Xbox 360, after all. Last year's game looked phenomenal for a launch title, and this year's version isn't all that great looking. A lot of the arenas look the same, there's a strange, ethereal glow around the ball and parts of the crowd, and most of the player faces are pretty scary. But there are some highlights. I mean, as a whole the game looks pretty damn good. The crowd is well animated, the courts look gorgeous, and I'm fond of the lighting. It's just that 2K7 looks better, thanks in part to the superior animation.

Once again, Live comes up short, and yet, I feel like EA's made significant strides over its previous efforts. Bottom line, this game is fun. In fact, sometimes I prefer it to 2K7 because it's much easier to score. Then again, I've never seen so many blown dunks in my life. Guys explode into the paint, seemingly collide with other players and just drop the ball. It's crazy. And what the hell's up with being unable to shoot while double-teamed? Who the hell's programming these games? If it's the same people, why are they still working on this franchise? Step down! Please!

Overall, NBA Live 07 is worth renting/buying simply because it looks good and plays decent enough. But if you only have enough money for one basketball game this year, I recommend that you go with NBA 2K7.